How to train a shy, nervous dog

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by don6170

This is a good book on the subject
The Cautious Canine book | Dog Training Book | Patricia McConnell

Trish McConnell rocks! She is a PhD in Animal Behavior About Patricia McConnell | McConnell Publishing Inc. and ran an excellent behavior consulting service Dog's Best Friend Training | Dog's Best Friend Training for years. She is retired now but the service is still excellent.

I've been to her seminars and used her service for my sound phobic freak of nature Karma...a dog that could've easily deranged into a terrorized mess (like two of my friends' similarly diagnosed herding breeds that ended up being tragically euthanized for their completely debilitating fear of normal daily events as simple as opening a drawer, closing a door, phone ringing, etc.)...but who has been a very happy dog since diagnosis/treatment seven years ago.

One thing I love about Trish is that she prices her booklets Canine Behavior Problems | Dog Training Books & DVDs |McConnell amazingly cheaply so that all can benefit. She also has higher priced, more in depth books but her booklets are designed to be quick, easy reads with simple, specific training steps. Highly recommended!

[Jumpindogs]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

You're always training, whether you know it or not. Saying "no" if they do something wrong. Praising for the least little proper behavior. Talking to the shy dog so your voice becomes familiar. Training isn't something you do for x minutes a day, but is in your interactions all the time. Putting her dish down and praising her for coming to it. Everything counts.

Absolutely. Training a specific task...such as come, sit, down...can be done in sessions. But training manners is a constant learning experience beginning the moment you bring your dog home and lasting the lifetime of your dog.

I agree that time will help. Sounds like her socialization consisted of bonding to other dogs in an outdoors environment which may explain why she bonded to your other dog so closely and is afraid of normal household stuff. After enough positive exposure to those things she will learn that they are not scary.

This booklet might be useful as well: http://www.patriciamcconnell.com/sto...Home-Soon.html You should be able to apply the training tips on how to help a dog feel comfy when owners leave the house to helping your dog feel comfy at separating from you and your other dog.

But please do not use punitive methods with this dog...that could convince her that she is right to be afraid. I wouldn't even say "no" to her. If she is doing something you don't want, just gently take her collar and move her away then give her an alternative such as a nifty chew to redirect her. Physical management much more sense to the dog anyway since they don't understand what "no" means and instead learn from the negative tone we tend to use when saying "no". And that negative tone could scare her. If you follow Trish McConnell's methods you'll be fine.

[Three Wolves In Snow]

Originally Posted by cheesenugget

We recently adopted a 1 year old bulldog/lab mix from the shelter. No history is known about her except she was transferred from a rescue in puerto rico. She is a nervous nelly. On her first day, she was afraid of the ceiling fan, the tv, the refrigerator and was pacing back and forth a lot inside the house. If she does not know you, she won't approach you and prefers to hide or run. But once she is a little relaxed with the new visitor, she likes being petted. Despite her nervousness, so far she choose to run than fight if faced with anything scary. She has not shown any growling, teeth showing, or any signs of fear aggression.

Based on her shy behavior and she walks with a limp (her right front leg is more extended but it does not hurt her at all. She just walks funny), a good guess is that she was not socialized as a puppy and/or hit by a car or something but the injury healed up. I have never lived in puerto Rico so I do not know how dogs are generally treated there. Whatever caused her being so scared of everything, she is a very loving dog once she trusted us which took a day. She loves pets, hugs, treats, toys and acts like a happy dog. We also have a 2nd dog we adopted years ago, a 4 year old lab/pit mix who our new dog named Mushu immediately bonded. In fact, Mushu loves her new big sister so much, and has now cling to me and my husband as well, is now becoming a training problem.

When we walk our dogs together, Mushu follows our older dog actions. Wherever she goes, mushu pulls the leash and insist being inches away from her side. That is cute except she will only go where our older dog goes. If our other dog went the opposite way or out of sight, mushu immediately panics, sniffs for her smell, paces in circles, cries and will not listen to any commands (I.e. sit) in that mode. Her fear of new anything, away from her new sister, away from us, being alone, is greatly distracting her to learn and listen to us. Food and treats do not get her attention. We are currently crate training her.

What is the best way to help her?

Our other dog has been great helping her deal with new things but the idea that we must take both dogs everywhere together just because she is clingy seems silly.

She trusts the other dog, she doesn't quite trust you yet. That's not an insult, it's just what it is. Take her out on her own, give each dog their own time with you. You need to build up that trust. She may really like you, but that doesn't necessarily mean she trusts you. Work on that, and she'll start to follow you, not the other dog. And you were right, training starts right away. You don't wait for the dog to "tell you" when to start training.